Decision
by Tenchi -J. Hahn
Summary: Gosh. A TM! fanfic about a decision. What could it be? What could it be? Emotional, but a downer only to Ayeka fans.
1. Default Chapter

Tenchi Muyo and all characters herein are the property of AIC  
  
For Chan  
_________________________________________________  
  
Aeka was loitering in the Masaki kitchen. To her way of thinking, she was helping her sister, but Sasami was getting on just fine by herself cleaning up from breakfast with an eye to the other meals of the day. Perhaps Aeka's support was in part due to Tenchi eating his breakfast late, his morning meal delayed by problems with the well that provided water to the shrine and Masaki House.  
  
Aeka went over to the kitchen island where Tenchi stood eating. "So, is the pump still damaged?" she asked.  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "No," he said. "What was broken was the screen that covers the intake pipe. It's rusted out. The pump drew in a pebble which blocked the water where it connects to the draw pipe. That caused the breaker to trip."  
  
"Will it be hard to repair?"  
  
Another shake. "It's already fixed. I just wrapped a couple of old socks on the end of the pipe. That will keep junk out of the line until I can replace the screen."  
  
"How very clever!"  
  
Tenchi gave her a small smile, as he slid his half-eaten breakfast away. "Thanks. Sasami, thanks for keeping it warm for me." To Aeka, he said, "It was a pain fixing it. I'm just gonna crash for a bit." Tenchi turned and walked away towards the living room.  
  
Aeka first looked at the plate and then at Tenchi's retreating back. He hadn't been abrupt, exactly, but he hadn't been himself, either. She followed him long enough to watch him sit on the couch, elbows on knees, his head bowed in thought.  
  
Whatever could be the matter? She stared, trying to decide what the problem could be. She went over in her mind anything and everything, seeking a clue.  
  
There are moments in our lives when we suddenly know things. There's no hard evidence, no facts to support the idea, but we just know, inside ourselves, the truth. Perhaps when we realize we've been caught at something. Or we see that someone obviously knows a secret they weren't suppose to discover, only they don't want us to see it. Or we know, in a sudden flash of insight, that someone has made a choice.  
  
And it wasn't the choice we wanted.  
  
Aeka Jurai at that moment had such an insight. She stared into the living room, just breathing, just breathing in and out, as muscles from her eyes to her stomach began to tighten and twist. Slowly she turned back into the kitchen. Her hands orderly folded the dirty kitchen towel she was holding and placed it near to where her sister was working.  
  
"Sasami, I have to take care of some things. Will that be all right?"  
  
"I'm fine Aeka! Thanks for your help!"  
  
Aeka nodded and walked town the hall to the lavatory. She shut herself inside and locked the door. There she looked into the mirror, just staring at her face. The cramped muscles were already beginning to numb. That was good. She wanted numb. She looked for redness along the edges of her lids. No, no redness. Yet. On impulse, she opened the cabinet behind the mirror and took out a soft camel hair make-up brush. Even though she never used blush or any other cosmetic, she did enjoy the feel of the brush on her face. With a quick motion she stroked her cheeks, watching her reflection intensely.  
  
When she realized it was meaningless, she set the brush down. Aeka looked about the small room, dazed, disconnected. She eased herself down onto the seat of the commode and slowly let it sink in.  
  
So. It was finally here. Decision day. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't considered it. Many times, often while waiting to fall asleep. She had always imagined it as sudden, a consequence of some peril or adventure, at least when the lucky girl was someone else. When the fantasy rewarded her, it was usually a soft, romantic moment. But this, this, it was just another day. How do you prepare for an ordinary day?  
  
You don't. You don't prepare. You can never prepare for something like this.  
Well, the Crown Princess of Jurai can't expect to spend her life in a small lavatory. But to go out there, she's need some idea of how to act. Should she ignore the situation? She could be wrong. It might be possible. She could approach Tenchi. Yes. He was deliberating. Worried. Aeka sighed. Worried about her. He was so sweet. Such a wonderful, gentle soul. It was so good to know him, to care for him, to be cared for by him.  
  
She understood what she needed to do. Be strong, she told herself. For Tenchi.  
  
Aeka left the lav and took the side door into the living room. He was seated much as when she saw him last. He started, almost afraid of seeing her.  
  
"Oh, Aeka. Sorry, but I'm not much company right now," he said.  
  
She walked around the end of the couch. "That's quite all right. I suppose you could say the same for me." Aeka sat down next to him, sort of falling into the cushions, her head tilted, supported by the back of the couch. It was a very un-Aeka-like pose, but Tenchi didn't notice.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I've been thinking. You should tell her."  
  
Tenchi stared at her like she had just calmly suggested shooting someone. "What? Tell who?"  
  
"Ryoko. You should tell her how deeply you feel."  
  
"Aeka, I ... I ...I don't know ...Oh, is it that obvious?"  
  
"No. No, it isn't. Obvious or not, it's time to do something about it. If I was in her place, I wouldn't want you to solve every detail before telling me."  
  
"I wish it were that simple."  
  
"No, sorry, what you're wishing for is a simple way to tell ME! But since I already know, that's taken care of. Wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"Aeka, I ..."  
  
"Tenchi. I want you to understand some things."  
  
Aeka paused a moment to overcome her dry mouth, then began. "Where I come from, marriage is arranged. It's a matter of politics and alliances, not romance. But Jurians are, in their own way, human, and we need love too. So we've created an entire mystique of courtly love, a realm of passion, seduction, betrayal, and many other absurdities designed keep most of the nobility busy and out of my family's hair.  
  
"So I never understood the normal things of friendship, family, home, love. Until I came here, Tenchi. Here I learned so much. Yes, it probably doesn't seem anything like normal to you, but it is my view of normal, and it means a great deal to me.  
  
"I admit to you, freely, I want to spend my life being near you. No, don't look like that! Let me say this! I had a passion here. It was, shall we say, a passion for passion. A residue of the courtly love I'd grown up with. I had a vision of a pursuit, a romantic moment, a wedding. But Tenchi, dear, I've never really had much of an idea beyond that.  
  
"My passion was for winning. Ryoko, I think, has that, too, but something else. She knows what life with you will be like, or thinks she knows. Perhaps that is the difference, the difference that made all the difference. She also has a passion for you.  
  
"I'm not saying I'm happy. I'm not. But, as my situation now becomes clearer, I can't say I'm as surprised as I would have thought. On this side of things, Ryoko almost seems ...obvious."  
  
Tenchi looked like he was dying. "I am so, so sorry, Aeka."  
  
She patted him softly. 'I know. I know why. The problem wasn't only understanding how you felt, it was expressing it in a way that would not hurt. Or, at least, hurt very little. I am a big girl, as they say, and I know why you would go to such lengths to protect my feelings."  
  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Aeka, I do have strong feelings for you. And I ..."  
  
"NO! NO! NO! Tenchi! Don't equivocate! If you won't speak plainly, then this conversation is over!"  
  
Tenchi thought a minute, then settled back in much the same posture as Aeka. He turned his head so they could see eye to eye.  
  
"Aeka, I love you."  
  
She smiled softly. "And I love you. That's not so hard to say, is it?"  
  
"I mean, we'll always ..."  
  
"Tenchi, if you say the word 'friend' I will be forced to break something you care about!"  
  
There was too much emotion going on between them for actual laughter, so they both settled for that long exhalation of breath that means much the same. Aeka was glad to see Tenchi truly smile for the first time in days.  
  
"She said, "I warn you, sir, I am an absolute glutton for hearing how people feel about me. Now that I know the truth, I shall expect frequent reminders from you. And you may expect the same from me!"  
  
Tenchi lost his happy face. "Uhhh, Aeka .."  
  
"Oh, all right! In a 'friendly' context. But I'm not really joking. It would please me much to hear that I'm welcome, that I'm a beloved member of this family, and that you are proud of me. Perhaps that's what all that I ever wanted."  
  
Tenchi's smile was soft. "Perhaps."  
  
She gave him a soft slap. "Well, haven't I given you enough courage yet? Stop wasting your time with me! Go find her! Although I'm not sure where she is.'  
  
"Oh. She's out sitting on the dock."  
  
Yes, of course he'd know. "Well, you've practiced on me. Now it should be easy. And remember, you told me your feelings first. Ryoko gets nothing but the old news! You had best remember, for I shan't forget!"  
  
Tenchi grinned and started walking to the glass doors.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
He stopped and turned. "Yes, Aeka?"  
  
"Sasami has nearly run out of potatoes. Dig some up for her, please, if you find a spare moment."  
  
Tenchi gave her the most intense look she had ever seen from him. It eased the pain somewhat. She smiled and nodded for him to go.  
  
Through the glass, she could tell by his body language when he had spotted Ryoko. And she could tell when he broke into a jog the moment Ryoko spotted him. At that point, she decided she'd gawked enough at this space wreck and that it was time to get up and go.  
  
Aeka went into the kitchen. She began picking up stacks of dishes on the island and moving them by the sink Sasami was busy at. It was only when she had transferred all of them that she realized that they were already clean and dry, and Sasami had left them there so she could put them away.  
  
"Oh, Sasami, I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
She began moving the small stacks back, and it was when they were all on the island that it dawned on her she should have just put them away. She stared at the dishes.  
  
Our dishes are beige, she thought.  
  
"Ayeka? Are you okay?" Ayeka nodded. "No, really. Are you all right?"  
  
Aeka continued to stare down. Finally, she said, 'Tenchi has just gone outside to talk to Ryoko about something very important." Slowly, she raised her eyes to look at the girl.  
  
Sasami understood. "Oh, no! Aeka!" She rushed over to hug her big sister around the waist. "I'm so sorry!"  
  
Aeka stroked her sister's hair.  
  
Sasami squeezed back. "It will be all right, Aeka. He loves us!" She thought a moment. "He loves you!"  
  
Aeka reached down and returned Sasami's hug.  
  
"Yes, I know! He just told me!" 


	2. Author's note

Author's note: Thanks to the people who wrote such wonderful reviews. The story was meant to stand alone. I see only two major roadblocks to "Tenchi & Ryoko". One being his seeming inability to open his f*ck*ng eyes, the other being, What of Ayeka? Between this story and "Impurity" I've tried to address each of these issues.  
  
It was fun to give Ryoko the victory, without her even being in the story! If I do write a sequel, it definately will have to include her, and if she doesn't trust Ayeka's motives, well, then the situation just might not be as final as they may think ....  
  
Tenchi 


End file.
